A 26-year-old local play leader climbed to the peak of Africa’s highest mountain – Kilimanjaro – to boost vital support work for children and young people with disabilities and their families/carers across Herefordshire and South Shropshire.

To “raise funds with my boots” for the Leominster-based Marches Family Network, where she works, Eva Holt first undertook ‘training’ by walking across Spain by herself for more than 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago.

After completing the famous pilgrimage trail Eva was soon hotfoot to Africa to tackle the tough trek up snow-capped Kilimanjaro which, at 4,895 metres high, is four time higher than Ben Nevis.

The trek involved six nights under canvas and enduring the extremes of heat, cold and rain (the route passes through rainforest). Altitude sickness and frostbite were among the problems experienced by some walkers – with some taken off the mountain on stretchers. Eva was thankful that she coped without too much difficulty.

“I live in the south Shropshire hills and I walk a lot – it really helps on a journey like that if walking is a big part of your life. And walking across Spain on the Camino was great preparation,” she said.

Eva, who is seeking sponsorship to boost the funds of the MFN charity, was describing her trekking exploits as she paused after leading a ‘wildplay’ session in a Herefordshire woodland. (Toasting marshmallows over a campfire proved to be a big hit with a group of disabled children and young people having great fun with a range of activities in the wood).

“I love the work I do,” said Eva, “I’m raising funds so we can provide the best possible programme for the kids – more great trips, more activities. I know the parents and carers in the families we support really appreciate the bit of free time we enable them to have.”

The Marches Family Network is currently supporting around 200 local families with a child or young person with disabilities and/or special educational needs. If you would like to support Eva’s fundraising efforts go online to https://home.justgiving.com and put Eva Holt in the search.